


Stole Your Heart

by yourstrulyhn



Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Assassins & Hitmen, Alternate Universe - Royalty, Alternate Universe - Spies & Secret Agents, Alternate Universe - Thieves, Angst, Enemies to Lovers, F/M, Fanfiction, Fluff, M/M, Other, nct - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-01
Updated: 2021-01-28
Packaged: 2021-03-11 04:26:55
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 7,577
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28479153
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/yourstrulyhn/pseuds/yourstrulyhn
Summary: "Let's see if you can steal my heart."
Relationships: Nakamoto Yuta/Reader
Kudos: 7





	1. Chapter 1

There were hushed whispers amongst the servants in the early hours of the morning. Gossip about the unknown group deemed heroes traveled around the castle; the town having a hand in spreading the tales. Nobody had ever seen who they were, but they knew these people, whoever they may be, conducted these acts of justice for them.

“Your royal highness.”

Your attention was turned to the guard who called for you. Taeyong bowed his head, then went up to you, so only you could hear his words.

“I apologize for disturbing your morning walk, but you’re needed back at your bedroom.”

“Are they-” You whispered as he nodded.

“Yes, your highness.”

“Very well.”

Taeyong escorted you back to your chambers, making sure none of the servants weren’t following you. All seemed too busy in preparing and cleaning the castle to bother you. With one last look around before you entered, he opened the door. You stepped inside and he quickly closed it, not wanting prying ears to listen in.

As you stepped towards your chair, Taeyong slid on your silk robe to provide you with comfort. You took a seat and nodded to him. Giving the signal with a flick of his wrist, twenty boys appeared before you, kneeling and bowing their heads. Crossing one leg over the other, Taeyong took his spot in the middle and did the same. In unison, they greeted you.

“Your royal highness.”

You hummed, acknowledging them. “I see the missions went well. I hope to hear only good things from all of you.”

“Yes, your highness.”

“Wonderful. Shall we begin in with Taeil, then?”

The eldest stepped forward and placed his hands behind his back as he gave his report. Then, one by one, the boys reported the success of their individual assignments. They ranged from assassinating a merciless general from a nearby country to gathering food for the poor. Whatever it was, they completed them and were delighted by their rewards. You glanced at Taeyong and nodded in approval. 

“You boys have done well these past few days, so I’ll let you have your break.”

Before they had the chance to react, you were interrupted by a knock on the door. Everyone immediately got into their stances with hands on the handle of their swords, ready to attack at your command.

“Your royal highness, may I come in?”

At the voice of a servant, the boys quickly scrambled out the window to hide as you made your move. In an instant, you tucked the reports away in your drawers to keep them hidden. Then, you positioned yourself at your desk as if you had been doing paperwork for some time.

“You may enter.”

When she stepped inside, you turned to face her. She bowed her head and you motioned her to speak.

“I am here to inform you that the king has requested for you to join him for breakfast.”

“I see.”

“Please come to the dining hall when you’re ready, your highness.”

“Very well.” You nodded and softly smiled. She gasped, then giggled from being flustered. You raised an eyebrow.

“Your highness is as sweet as ever.”

You chuckled and thanked her for being kind herself. Her cheeks flushed as she bowed and excused herself. She stepped out and closed the door behind her. When you were sure she was far enough, you were able to relax and let out a sigh of relief. It was tiring, having to keep up this facade of a perfect, well-mannered princess.

Walking to the window, you peeked outside to your left and right to find an amusing sight. On the ledge, the boys clung to whatever they could in hopes of the servant leaving quickly. When they saw you, you smirked.

“Did you boys enjoy your extra training?”

The younger ones let out groans and whines while the older boys were used to this, having knowledge on what to hold onto and stand on. Even though they had experience, it was still a challenge. 

You went back inside and opened the window wider for them to come back in. They came in one by one, landing lightly on their feet. They let out sighs of relief, happy to be away from the wind outside.

“Don’t think this is the time to relax so easily,” Taeyong scolded the younger ones and they immediately straightened their backs and put their hands by their sides. You lifted a hand, signaling for them to stand down.

“Hey, you know what’s funny?” Chenle started laughing and nudged Jisung. “Everyone sees Y/N as someone pure and innocent, but they have no idea that Y/N’s the one conducting these kinds of missions behind their backs.”

“Yeah, they don’t know Y/N can actually be extremely intimidating either,” Jisung joined in.

“Oi. Watch how you address our highness,” Taeyong once again scolded.

“It’s all right, Taeyong. I don’t mind. You’re all free to address me however you see fit.”

“Y/N!” The younger ones wailed, running to you and throwing their arms around you. You chuckled when the vein on Taeyong’s forehead showed itself. He took a deep breath before stomping over to them, causing them to cower into you.

“You stop that behavior right now!” One by one, he grabbed them by their collars and pulled them in line. Whining from the harsh grip, they protested for him to let them go. Johnny, who was by his side, crossed his arms and smirked.

“This is why our highness needs to be strict, otherwise, you little ones would fool around all the time.”

“And nothing would be accomplished,” Taeil sighed, shaking his head.

“But that doesn’t explain why the rest of you old men are strict as well,” Donghyuck huffed, causing the older boys’ faces to harden. The younger ones nodded, inputting their own opinions. This then led to an argument.

“Yeah! You’re always yelling at us for joking around!” Jaemin scoffed.

“You can loosen up a little and have fun sometimes, you know?” Jeno said.

“Messing around here and there doesn’t get in the way of our assignments, so it shouldn’t be an issue,” Yukhei pointed out and the boys nodded.

“Like Yukhei mentioned, we always focus on the job at hand. We never stray from getting our job done,” Jun added.

You could tell everyone was on edge. To lessen the tension, Mark tried to mediate between the two groups.

“What we’re trying to say is that we all can get along better if we didn’t let all these rules come between us.” But that did little to put out the fire.

“The rules were made for a reason. We cannot just throw them aside.” Jaehyun scowled.

It was obvious that there was a big difference between the younger and older boys, and how they conducted themselves.

The assignments you have given the older ones throughout these years were nothing compared to those of the younger boys. Because of their experience, they were sent out to do the more dangerous and even life-threatening assignments. Their work involved assassinations of those who brought ruin or undercover work to gather information for your next targets. All of this was done solely by themselves. They didn’t have anyone to rely on, so they were on their own to figure things out when trouble appeared. Because of the horrendous things they’ve witnessed during their work, they were more reserved and stricter with those around them.

On the other hand, the younger boys could be more carefree. Their work was of easier tasks such as spies lurking in the shadows or thieves stealing the goods. This put them away from harm’s way as the older ones took over when the task turned deadly. These boys had yet to see the filth that went hand in hand with the higher-ranked assignments. Because they still lacked experience, you thought it was best for them to have a partner for the sake of backup. So, the pairing went Yukhei and Renjun, Mark and Donghyuck, Jun with Hendery and Yangyang, Jeno and Jaemin, Shotaro and Sungchan, and Chenle and Jisung.

“Ah, I envy how they can say those words so easily and carelessly,” Ten sighed, shaking his head.

Jungwoo hummed. “Hm, I do wonder if they can still say those kinds of things after getting their hands on the higher-level assignments.”

“We won’t know that until we’re given permission, right, Shotaro?” Sungchan turned to his partner.

“Well, it would be nice to have a wider range, rather than limiting ourselves and our skills to what we’re doing now,” Shotaro mumbled.

“We’re sick and tired of these boring assignments we have! We want to take on harder ones!” Kunhang protested.

“The number of cats that we’ve caught and returned to their owners is ridiculous! I didn’t think it was possible to have so many!” Yangyang threw his arms up in frustration. It was as if these cats were escaping from their owners on purpose.

“Trust me. You should cherish those types of assignments while you can because you’ll start to miss them,” Dongyoung interjected.

“For as long as we remember, we don’t ever recall any of you doing childish things like this! You all started on the higher leveled assignments right away! It’s not fair!” Renjun retorted. 

“Are you sure about that?” Kun raised an eyebrow, then turned to Sicheng. “I recall the two of us catching this calico cat a dozen times, isn’t that right?”

Sicheng clicked his tongue. “That brat kept escaping from that crazy cat lady and rightfully so.”

As they continued to bicker with each other, your eyes turned to the door when you caught a silhouette approaching your door. Clearing your throat, you kept your composure and averted your attention to the boys. You held up your hand and they immediately stopped talking.

“We have company,” You said in a low voice, nodding towards the door. With a flick of your wrist, the boys climbed out the window and took their previous spots on the ledge. At the same time the window shut behind Taeil, a knock on the door sounded. The same servant from before called out to you.

“Your highness, is everything all right? The king is waiting for your arrival at the-”

You pulled the door open and glanced down at her. She bowed her head.

“I apologize. I was,” You trailed off, trying to come up with an excuse. “Occupied with something that needed my immediate attention. Shall we go?”

When she raised her head, she felt better at the sight of your smile. “Allow me to escort you, your highness.”

You thanked her, then turned around to close the door. The window was opened just enough for you to meet Taeyong’s eye. You nodded at each other, which was the signal for him to take over for you as leader while you were gone. Receiving the message, Taeyong quietly shut the door behind him.

You then turned to her after closing the door and nodded, indicating you were ready to go. She bowed her head, then led you to the dining hall. With a blush on her cheeks and a beaming smile, she talked up a storm about various things, interesting things that caught your attention. She wasn’t afraid to speak to you either. It was as if the two of you had been friends for a long time. So, you hoped she stayed for a while.

On the other side of your chambers, a strong gust of wind blew against whatever it touched. It was hard for anything to stay in place when caught in it. Hence, why the twenty-two boys were stuck, grumbling about their situation and clinging for their lives. The wind harshly picked up and blew at them in all directions, making it hard for them to hold on.

They hoped you were gone soon. Otherwise, you were going to have some problems with the lack of boys under your power.

“Taeyong, can we get down now?”


	2. Chapter 2

The doors to the dining hall opened as you stepped inside. You thanked the servant who escorted you here and she bowed her head before excusing herself. Your eyes trailed to the table and the person at the far end of the table.

“Father,” You greeted and bowed. He gestured for you to sit down. You took your seat as the maids served your breakfast, then scurried back to their respective spots. You crossed your legs and took a sip of your tea. Clearing his throat, your father spoke.

“My child, you are so pure and innocent,” He sighed and shook his head.

His sudden words caught your attention and you glanced up from behind your cup. Your eyebrows furrowed together as you softly scoffed. Then, you remembered how you were supposed to act. You cleared your throat and placed down your cup.

“What are you on about, father?”

“Oh, I am just concerned for you. I am troubled by the fact that you have to live through such cruel and barbaric times.” You almost wanted to laugh. What nonsense. He continued. “Things were never like this when I was a child. It must be punishment for the peaceful times that call forth this misfortune.”

What kind of a king blamed his people and country for his lack of ability to rule?

“Yes, it is most unfortunate.” You took another sip of your tea before you lost your temper.

“Say, child. Have you been around town?”

“Not as of late.” You lied through your teeth.

“Well then, I’ll inform you at once. There is said to be this group of people who help the poor and feed the hungry. They have even targeted some of the lords and generals that I have done business with. Shameful that I’ve lost contracts, but what can you do?” He laughed as if their lives were nothing under his foot.

“Oh? Is that so? How interesting.”

“Yes, that’s right.” Your father then sighed. “Nobody has laid claim to them yet, so I’ve been thinking of using this time to negotiate with them. However, a problem has arose. They conduct themselves at night, so nobody has been able to see them. How am I to do business with them!”

His hands started to tighten into fists as he stroked his beard. You averted his temper elsewhere.

“So that is the reason why I’ve seen many of our men come in and out of the castle these days.”

“Ah, you’ve noticed.”

“How can I not when they have such an intimidating presence?” You sighed. You further expressed your fear by emphasizing your act. You placed your hand on your heart and shook your head. You had to do something about him and his men, so you were willing to sacrifice yourself.

He hummed, sending a signal to his guards with a stern look. Then, he turned back to you with a sad smile.

“I must have scared you, my child. I’ll talk to them about it at once.”

“Thank you, father.”

“With that issue aside, what do you think?”

“About?”

“The negotiation I have planned with these people. Child, think of what this can do for my reputation. I will be known as the king who was responsible for harnessing such a powerful group for the sake of peace.”

You faked a smile and nodded. “I believe this will indeed help you in many ways, father. I wish you success.”

You weren’t surprised that he took this as an opportunity to better his reputation. Everything he did was all for his benefit. Not once had he thought about his people as he should.

“However, despite my efforts and sending in all these men, there has not been even a single clue as to who these people are and where they reside. It is as if they are ghosts of the night!” Or trained well enough to hide their tracks to prevent things like this.

You took a sip of your tea. “Be patient, father. You cannot get things down if you lose your temper. Things will turn in your favor, I’m sure.”

He grumbled. “I hope that is so. I am running out of patience for these people.”

The rest of breakfast went by a blur. Your father was consumed in his plan of capturing the team that it was all he talked about. You pretended that you were interested as the good child you were, but you couldn't care less about what he had to say. Now, you had to figure out a strategy to combat his efforts. It seemed like more work was headed your way because of your foolish old man.

Once you were finished eating, you stood up when your father stopped you. “If you have nothing planned for today, will you join me for a walk around town, my child?”

Servants rushed to clean up after him while others made sure he looked his best for a walk around town. You didn’t want to listen to any more of his boasting, but you joined him nonetheless.

“I would love to.”

The guards followed behind you and your father once you stepped outside the castle. You strayed behind him and his head servant as they had important matters to discuss. You were grateful you didn’t need to talk to him any more than you did.

As you walked by the townspeople, you noticed something peculiar. Despite trembling and cowering, they greeted your father. It seemed everyone had an act around the great king. Most likely out of fear. Nobody dared approach him. Everyone went silent and still at the sight of him. You could see it in their eyes, how they feared for their lives.

You couldn’t stand the sight of the suffering people, so you had to look away. Your eyes went up to the sky, searching for something when you saw something on the rooftops. The person moved with you and your father but looked back at you. You gave a nod and they replicated the signal. To prevent any suspicion, you kept your head down. You didn’t want to draw attention to the person on the rooftop.

Continuing your walk with your father, you were able to take down mental notes about what you saw and heard. They would come in handy when you were making assignments. You took note that a lot of what was being observed were all negative things about your father. The guards noticed every time you would listen in and they would try to make a move on the people who only spoke the truth. You stopped them before they could do anything with a raise of your hand. They begrudgingly obeyed. This made for a troublesome walk as this happened often.

It was when you were offered a free sample from a fruit ship when your father’s loud voice called out to you. The owners gasped and held onto each other. You sighed and shook your head, regretful that there wasn’t much you could do. You then turned to them, bowing your head and thanking them for the apple before taking your leave. They were so stunned by your behavior, that they forgot about their fear of the king. Never in their days of living had they had a royalty thank them, let alone bow their heads.

You ran up to your father and bowed your head to divert his attention from that couple. You didn’t want to cause trouble for them.

“Did you need something, father?”

He placed his hands on your shoulders and gave you an apologetic smile. “My child. I am sorry to tell you this, but I must return to the castle. I have been informed that important people are waiting for me.”

What was it now that he got himself involved in?

Shaking the thought of your mind, you chuckled. “Father, are you perhaps worried I am angry with you? It is nothing of that sort. I am a little saddened to hear you are leaving so soon, but I understand that you are needed and have matters to take care of. We can pick up our walk another day.”

“I am glad you took this well. Worry not, I will make it up to you. I will leave some men with you if you continue on this walk.”

“Thank you, father. That would be wonderful.” You nodded obediently and smiled at him. He parted ways with you after leaving you a handful of guards with you. As he walked off, you stayed behind and waved. Once you saw he was out of sight, your hand fell to your side. You turned to the guards and they straightened up.

You chuckled. “You can relax. I am not strict like my father. Please, do not push yourselves.”

They exchanged looks, unsure of what to do or how to properly react. They weren’t trained for this. It was then the highest rank of the guards who told them to be at ease that they relaxed. Though, they were still cautious about what they were doing.

“Now, there is something I must ask of all of you.”

“Yes, your royal highness! What can we do for you?”

You hummed, then sweetly smiled. They were taken back.

“I’ve decided to let you go home.”

“H-Huh?”

“I said I’m giving you a break, so you are dismissed for the day.”

“But your highness, the king told us to stay to protect you.” One of the guards stepped forward and tried to reason with you. Given two different kinds of instructions, even the highest rank was flustered. He wasn’t trained for this type of situation.

“I am aware.”

“S-So, we’re going to stay to protect you?” They said, but it came out more like a question. They weren’t sure if they could talk to you this way. They were even more confused about how you let them get away with it.

“But I’m sending you home.”

They talked amongst themselves, discussing what to do.

“I’m aware of the fact that you’re all worried about angering my father if he were to find out about this. Granted, I would be too, but I will make sure none of you receives punishment.”

It wasn’t as if they doubted you. They were just unsure if the king’s wrath was worth leaving you behind.

“If we were to leave, who is to protect your highness?”

“Ah, do not fret about that. I am to meet Taeyong soon. He’s just in that shop over there. Surely, I can walk a few feet without a problem. No?”

With no other arguments, they eventually gave in. The highest rank stepped forward and they bowed.

“Well, if you were to be entrusted to Taeyong, then we have nothing to worry about. If that is what you request, I shall inform the king.” Though, he looked nervous when he said that. You made a mental note to send one of the boys with him to talk with your father. You didn’t want this poor soul to meet such an early death because of your business.

“Thank you. Now, off you go.”

Still skeptical about leaving, you sighed and shooed them home. As they walked further away from you, they would look over their shoulders to see if you would change your mind. You waved, sending them off with a sweet smile on your face.

When they blended into the crowd, your smile disappeared, and you flicked your wrist. In an instant, someone jumped down in front of you, kneeling with his head bowed down. From the way conducted himself, you could tell he was impatient in waiting for your signal. He must have thought those soldiers would’ve never left. You chuckled.

“You’ve done well.” You spoke as he rose to his feet. Your eyes met his. “Taeyong.”

“Thank you, your highness.” He cocked a smirk. He was ready for your command.

“Well, it’s time to get to work.”


	3. Chapter 3

After parting with your father, Taeyong accompanied you on the rest of the walk. Really, it was so that the two of you can collect intel for the sake of bettering your town. Because you had shown yourself before your people, many of them would pull you aside to their shops. They filled your hands with plenty of their goods before asking you to come back to visit them again soon. You politely smiled at them, promising them you would. But once you walked away, you would let out a sigh.

“Is something bothering you, Y/N? You’ve been in a bad mood since you departed from your father.” Taeyong asked, taking the goods from you to carry.

You looked around, then spotted a nearby restaurant. Nodding towards it, he followed you inside as you greeted the owner. The two of you took the seats in the back, which hid you from prying eyes. When you sat down, you dropped your facade and allowed your frustrations to show.

“These townspeople-” You paused to shake your head. “Are truly so kind. They never hesitate to take care of one another, always helping each other with whatever they may need. But it is because of their kindness that they have to live in constant fear.”

You clenched your fist as anger festered inside of you. Taeyong understood how you felt as he was a witness to it every time he was sent out on an assignment.

“I worry that because of the things my father spews out of his mouth, they’ll be brainwashed into believing that he created this group of heroes. That this peace we have is all thanks to him when it’s not.”

He scoffed. “You have to have more faith in your people, Y/N. They know better than to believe that their fool of a king is capable of thinking of them instead of him for once. He isn’t that thoughtful. The only thing that man cares about is expanding the country through war and bloodshed. His people are only bargaining tools.”

You sighed, ashamed to have such a father. “My father is indeed a greedy old man. The way he speaks so lowly about his people is revolting and he didn’t seem to spare all of you either. To him, you are only pawns to be used in his hands.”

When he told you, he thought of them as mere objects, you were furious. The boys were your friends. For him to speak that way, you couldn’t control your irritation. Taeil and Taeyong themselves were barely able to contain themselves when they heard what their king had to say. You clicked your tongue and slammed your hand down on the table.

“Your father is fully aware of the benefits if he manages to have us under his control. He can continue to be king if there aren’t any riots from his people. Since the group maintains peace, nobody can really complain about his inability to rule.”

You took a sip of your tea. “I truly don’t understand how he can produce these plans sometimes.”

It was hard to believe someone could think of and do such things without feeling any remorse. They had no regard for anyone else but themselves.

“And because of his  _ genius _ thinking, I have more work to deal with. Aside from hiding our identities and babysitting the troublemakers at home, I now have this.”

You rested your hand on top of his, giving him a sympathetic look. It was a way of promising to do whatever you could to help ease his burdens. His face softens at the worry on your face and nodded. Now, he wanted to make you feel better.

“Since you’re worried about the situation about the townspeople, I’ll tell you this. There have been rumors and whispers around town about who actually leads us. Many have even tried to come up with ways to find out.”

“Have they made any progress?”

“Because there are so many of us, a lot of their theories contradict one another. While someone may say they saw one of our own here, another can argue that they saw another in a different area at the same time. They’re frustrated that they’re running in circles, but they’re persistent.”

“I see having all of you around does pay off,” You chuckled.

Taeyong scoffed, then shook his head with an amused smile. “You are so cruel sometimes, Y/N.”

Now that you looked more relaxed about the situation, Taeyong could be at ease. He fondly smiled at you, which made you raise an eyebrow. He wasn’t his typical, stern leader facade. He looked like a boy his age for once and that made you happy.

Then, a loud noise sounded throughout the restaurant. You and Taeyong looked over to the commotion. Other customers tried their best to back away from the situation. They whispered to each other, afraid to speak too loudly just in case they were targeted.

Looking past them, you saw a group of thugs who had annoyingly barged into the place. They flipped every table and everything on top of it. The restaurant was dead silent as the men tried to intimidate and scare people.

“You all keep talking about those stinkin’ brats. Who cares about them! I’ve had it with all of the annoying chatter about how great they are! They’re getting on my nerves! Stop putting those kids on a pedestal when they have done nothing great. They are nothing special, you know?” The man who appeared to be the leader snarled. He was agitated that this group had received recognition for their acts of duty. But because of them, they were producing trouble for him and his men.

You scowled at his resentful words. You knew Taeyong wasn’t going to take his words lightly either. He had struck a nerve. Taeyong’s grip on the table tightened until his hands started to tremble. You held up your hand to prevent him from doing something.

“All of this whining and complaining! You people need to suck it up and actually do something yourselves if you want things to change!”

Before Taeyong could get up and do say something, someone else had beat him to it. In the other corner of the restaurant, the person slammed their foot down on the only table standing and caused it to rumble under him. Everyone’s attention was now on him.

You were curious as to what this person was up to. You signaled for Taeyong to sit down to see how this would play out. Interestingly, someone was brave enough to deal with the thugs.

The boy let out a groan and threw back his head. “Man, all of your talk about how annoying they are is so boring. You might as well say you’re jealous because they’re that much better than you. You thugs are only getting antsy because every one of you is getting caught so easily by the group.”

“What did you say, brat?” The man clenched his hands. Each word stabbed daggers into his heart and his anger was boiling over.

The brave traveler’s lips curled into a smirk. “You heard me, old man. Or shall I repeat it one more time since you don’t have a good sense of hearing?”

“You-”

“That is enough.” Taeyong stepped in between the both of them, clad in an employer’s uniform. How he managed to get his hands on it, you didn’t know. The intervention effectively stopped the fight. The smirk on the traveler’s face ticked off the thug even more, but there was nothing he could do about it. Taeyong’s frown deepened, making the man click his tongue. He stepped away, allowing for Taeyong to slip his arm in between. With a smile on his face, he gave instructions. “I am going to have to ask you to leave, kind sir.”

“You heard him, thug. Get out.” The traveler emphasized the warning, pausing after every word. It was as if he was trying to make the man even angrier. 

“Please refrain from taunting him anymore, valued customer.” Taeyong scolded. The traveler raised his hands in surrender and apologized.

When the thugs realized there was no point in staying anymore, they finally left the restaurant. Everyone erupted into cheers once they were far enough. The owners went up to Taeyong and thanked him over and over for his help. He nervously laughed as he tried to stop the owners from bowing their heads to him.

You couldn’t help but laugh at the sight. Even after all these years, Taeyong still blushed at every compliment and thanks he received. It was an old habit of his that you were fond of.

After that, Taeyong apologized to the owners for causing a ruckus and borrowing the uniform. While he did that, your eyes traveled to the now empty seat that was once occupied by the great hero of the day. You leaned forward onto the table as you fell into deep thought. You hummed.

As a royalty, you knew of everyone who lived in this town and those who conducted business here in passing. You had never come across a person like the traveler you saw today. Sure, he was bold, but he was idiotic for taunting those thugs. Though, that was what caught your attention. 

You tapped your finger on your chin as you thought more about him.

“What an interesting character that boy was.”

After a few minutes of thinking, you knew you couldn’t let him go. You laid down the money on the table and passed Taeyong on your way.

“Taeyong, come.” He nodded, doing it without asking any questions despite not knowing what was going on. He diligently followed your orders as you made your way into the crowd.

It hadn’t been long since you all left the restaurant so you knew he wouldn’t be too far. Soon enough, you could faintly make out the boy’s back. You picked up your pace with Taeyong in tow. 

Glancing at you, he was surprised to see his usual composed royalty distressed for once. It was a strange sight; one he had never seen before. He wondered what it was about the boy that riled you like this. 

The two of you maintained distance from him while he traveled throughout town. He did nothing but talk with the townspeople before buying food from almost every vendor. Nothing about him gave you any indication that he was a suspicious person or having any dangerous intentions. If anything, he was just like any other traveler who wanted to try everything your town had to offer. He even moved and talked with everyone as if he had always been one of their own.

You stopped walking, now glaring at the boy instead of observing the boy like you intended. There was something about him that ticked you off. You bit down on your thumb in thought.

“Taeyong, let’s go back to the castle.” You decided to change the course of your plans.

“Your highness?”

“There is no point in tailing him. It’s a waste of time, so I’ll just have one of the boys gather information on him instead.”

You looked at each other and nodded. With one last glance at the boy’s figure, you let out a sigh and turned your back to him. You were going to give this up for now.

What you failed to see was the smug smirk on his face. Little did you know, he knew the two of you were following him the entire time. You made your intentions clear by doing this. He couldn’t help but laugh with amusement. He was having too much fun. He couldn’t have things go wrong now. His whole plan would go to waste if you were to find out now.

“Will this be all for today, mister?” The vendor pulled him out of his thoughts as he was handed a bag of vegetables.

“Hm? Ah, yes. Thank you.” With the bag in his hand, his eyes traveled back to your figure again. You were starting to blend into the crowd, soon enough, disappearing entirely. He hummed in satisfaction as his eyes glimmered with mischief.

“Foolish, foolish royalty.” He sang, swinging the bag over his shoulder. Humming a happy tune, he walked around town with a smile on his face.

He just couldn’t wait to see you again.


	4. Chapter 4

You thought that after yesterday’s ordeal, you would forget about the mysterious traveler. But you couldn’t. No matter how hard you tried to focus on something else, he always came back to occupy your thoughts. You didn’t know why you couldn’t stop thinking about him.

Looking out the window, you hoped to find something to distract yourself or at least give you peace of mind. But it was no use. Your mind always found its way back to the boy. It was starting to get irritating.

“Ah, seriously. What am I doing?” You let out a sigh, rubbing your temples. He was just a mere traveler. There was no need to worry so much about him, so why?

Luckily for you, someone came knocking at the door and brought you out of your thoughts. Hearing the sound, you were relieved and thankful to whoever it was.

“Your highness, may I come in?” Taeyong.

“Yes.”

Taeyong pulled the door open and stepped inside, then closed it behind him. When you met his eyes, he raised an eyebrow at the state you were in as he crossed your chambers to get to you. He leaned down to your level. Tilting his head to one side and then the other, he observed every detail of you. What exactly had you pulling such a face? He pulled away to stand upright.

“Your highness.”

“Hm?” You sounded like you were in a daze. Taeyong frowned.

“Are you all right? You don’t seem well. Should I bring you some medicine?”

You raised your hand to stop him and shook your head. “That won’t be necessary. I’m okay.”

“You don’t look okay,” He said, crossing his arms. The longer he looked at you, the easier it was for him to figure out what was bothering you. “Hmph. Don’t tell me you’re thinking about what happened with that traveler yesterday.”

You hummed and nodded your head. 

“Your highness!”

You sighed. You knew he was going to have a problem with it.

“The boy. I don’t know what it is, but there is something about him that I can’t let go of.” Your eyebrows furrowed in irritation. This uneasy feeling gnawed at your gut. Your intuition had never been wrong when it came to things like this. But maybe it was this time. After all, he did save the owner and customers the trouble of having to deal with the troublemakers. You turned to him. “Did you not feel anything menacing about him?”

He sighed and rubbed the back of his neck, shaking his head. “It was more so idiocrasy than menacing. The traveler willingly put himself in a situation with the thugs, but who knows if he could’ve actually handled them.”

Biting down on your thumb, you thought of what to do.

“Well, seeing as how he hasn’t done anything suspicious that we know of, I will let him be for now. However, I think looking into his background won’t hurt. Let Taeil know about the situation and see if he can find anything on the traveler. Then, report it back to me.”

“Yes, your highness.” Taeyong bowed his head. 

He glanced at you when you tapped your finger against the table. He was surprised. He didn’t think the boy would take up that much space in your head. But it was interesting to see you so intrigued by an individual for once. In all the years he knew you, nobody had left such an impression as the traveler. It made him want to know who he was too. What it was that captivated you. Especially since this boy allowed for Taeyong to see new sides of you.

On the other hand, it worried him when he saw you this way. You were so unsure of what to do. You doubted yourself and the choices you wanted to take going forward. He had never seen you like this. He needed to find out more and quickly to get things resolved. You had other issues that needed your attention. He couldn’t have you distracted by a mere traveler.

“Is there anything else, Taeyong?” You asked, leaning your cheek against your hand.

“No, your highness.”

“You’re dismissed then. Go on and take your break.”

“What about you?” He asked and you softly smiled.

“I shall rest for the day. My morning has been full of thoughts about the boy, so I will let my mind rest for now.”

“Oh?” 

You huffed and shooed him away, leaving him no room to say anything more. He bowed his head and headed towards the door. Once Taeyong left, you sighed.

“I need to get a new hobby other than daydreaming.” You shook your head and turned back to your desk to get more work done. Nothing could be done until you had more informati0n. No use worrying about him.

On the other side of town, the traveler hummed a tune as he walked through the capital. A smirk appeared on his face when he thought of how you must be thinking of him. Since he caused quite the commotion yesterday, he knew without a doubt you and Taeyong would trail him. 

He couldn’t help but laugh. Nothing amused him more.

He had to admit it was more interesting this way, rather than having to wait for you to discover his secrets later. But he couldn’t get too excited, otherwise his whole plan would go to waste. He needed to wait just a little longer until his debut.

As he passed a stall, the owner called out to him. That shook him out of his thoughts, and he glanced at her. Putting on a friendly smile, he walked over to see what the woman wanted. When he got closer, he realized it was the stall he hid behind to avoid you and Taeyong.

The woman crossed her arms, glaring at him. “Hey. Don’t pretend as if you didn’t make a promise to me yesterday. You said you would buy something from my stall if I helped you hide. Don’t try to go back on your word now.”

“Of course. I was just on my way here to do so,” He lied through his teeth.

She huffed. “You’re lucky you’re handsome, otherwise I would’ve reported you to the soldiers.”

“Yes, yes.” He hummed as he looked around at her stall. All different kinds of jewelry surrounded her. He could see the work and effort she put in each one. Since he didn’t have any interest in jewelry, he didn’t know which to choose.

“What would you recommend?” He asked, looking up at her. She looked around at the selections, then listed off her favorites. To the traveler, all he saw this as was an opportunity to get money in the future.

After choosing her most favorite, he thanked her as she packed it up for him.

“Will that be all for today, sir?”

“Ah, yes. Thank you.”

“You know, you’re not so bad. I could even consider you a potential suitor if you weren’t so bad with promises.” The owner muttered the last part, but he had heard her.

“Oh?” He turned his attention to her with a smirk, making her eyes widen. Her cheeks reddened as she cleared her throat. “Isn’t that an inappropriate thing to say to a customer?”

“What I mean to say is that you’re just a little better than some of the boys around here! Don’t get it twisted, kind sir!” She huffed. He chuckled, nodding. “A-Anyway, I’ll give one more tip of advice since you upheld your promise.”

She waved for him to come closer, so he did. Looking around, she made sure nobody paid them any attention. Then, she spoke to him.

“Please do be careful around here. The soldiers, especially the king, are not to be trusted.”

“And why is that?”

“There are rumors that corruption runs deep throughout the capitol and even up to the king. Hence, why the soldiers believe they can do whatever they want without punishment. Some of the higher-ups have even been heard to be conducting underground business.” She shook her head and shivered in fear. “If you can, I recommend you leave this place.”

He pulled away, having heard enough. “I see. Thank you for letting me know.”

They bowed to each other as the traveler stepped away from the stall. Then, he walked into the crowd, blending well with the rest. 

After hearing what the woman said, adrenaline ran through his veins and he couldn’t help but laugh. Things were just getting better and better. Now, he really couldn’t wait.

He made one last stop before he could continue walking around town. As he looked beyond the castle’s gate, the castle stood high and mighty. Seeing it for himself, mischief sparkled in his eyes. The thought of seeing you again sent chills down his spine.

“Foolish, foolish little royalty. You may not know yet, but you’re in for a great surprise by yours truly.”

With his fleeting words, he said nothing more as he continued his way through town.


End file.
